


God And All His Angels

by TiyeTiye



Series: Things That Go Bump In The Night [5]
Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Doctor Who References, Doctor Who x Vikings crossover, Great Heathen Army, Invasion of England, Just a Little Bit of Peril, Weaponized Christianity, Weeping Angels - Freeform, Winchester Cathedral, doctor who - Freeform, things that go bump in the night - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 10:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13052463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiyeTiye/pseuds/TiyeTiye
Summary: After leaving York to Aethelwulf and his army, Ivar takes the Great Army south, toward Winchester and its famed cathedral, yet his attack is stopped by some miraculous defenders.





	God And All His Angels

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AdamantErinyes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdamantErinyes/gifts).



It was easy enough to leave York to the Saxons, to slip out through the old Roman tunnels and take to their boats under cover of darkness. Let Aethelwulf and his men have the town and do what they would with it, Ivar would take the rest of England for himself. 

Wessex had already fallen, and Northumbria was in disarray, so Ivar took the fleet south, around the eastern corner of England, and up the River Itchen to Winchester. The thralls they had taken in York told him the city was rich, a jewel waiting to be plucked from the ground, and with Ecbert dead and Aethelwulf in York there would be no one to defend it. 

They were right. 

The fleet came up out of the river mist early in the morning, and Ivar’s men swarmed out onto the bank and were over the old Roman walls before an alarm could be raised. They encountered no resistance as they went - not a single warrior raised a blade to defend their home. Instead, the Saxons they came across all turned to flee in the same direction - towards the great stone cathedral in the center of the city. 

The doors of the Saxon cathedral broke open with the third strike of the great battering ram, letting Ivar’s warriors flood inside, but strangely, no one ran. Instead, each one of them, down to the smallest child, has fallen to their knees and begun to pray to their Christ God. 

Ivar’s warriors stopped, confused, unsure of what to make of this flock of people huddled calmly together in the center of the room, murmuring away. Ivar shoved his way through his men until he stood next to Hvitserk. 

“What are they doing? Why do they not run?” Hvitserk asked. 

“They are praying to their Christ God. Perhaps they think he will save them from us.” Ivar replied, snickering.

An elderly man dressed like one of their priests spotted Ivar, and struggled to his feet to address him, holding his arms out to his sides to shield his flock as Ivar drew closer and closer. “Leave this place, Northman. This holy ground is no place for you and your men. It is defended. God and all his angels watch over us here.” 

Ivar snorted as he slowly hobbled up to the old man. “Your Christ God is weak. He did not stop me from coming here. What makes you think he will save you now?” 

The old priest smiled at Ivar, peaceful and serene. “I have faith. God sees everything, Northman. The angels watch over us here, and if any harm should come to one of us, if any blood should be spilled within these walls, they will not hesitate to punish the wicked.” 

Ivar laughed at that, gesturing around the cathedral at the images of women in long robes with feathered wings sprouting out of their backs. They were everywhere, carved into the walls, wound around the pillars, standing in niches like proper gods, there was even an enormous angel statue behind the high altar. Carved out of stone, this one had her head in her hands as though she were weeping. 

“Your _angels_ are nothing but unarmed women, not even strong enough to pick up a sword like a real shield maiden,” Ivar scoffed. “I do not think I need to be frightened of them.” 

The old man’s serene smile didn’t shift at all. “Many of God’s children are more than what they seem, Northman. The angels protect us. They always have.” 

The priest was still smiling when Ivar’s axe took his face off. 

As the shrieks of the horrified Saxons died down, a strange grating noise drew Ivar’s attention. Had that statue always been standing like that? Hadn’t the carvings been looking towards the altar before, instead of looking towards him? 

Suddenly, there’s a scream and a loud _SNAP!_ and one of Ivar’s warriors falls lifeless to the floor, his neck broken. Standing over the body is a woman made of stone, one of the Christian’s angels, the niche behind her now empty. As Ivar struggles to understand what he’s just seen, there’s another loud _SNAP!_ and a frightened shout from among his warriors, and another Viking falls down dead. Standing over this corpse is another of the stone angels, wings outstretched, but her mouth is open to reveal fangs like a wolf’s and her now wickedly clawed hands are pointed directly at Ivar. 

“What is this?!” Ivar shouts at one of the women kneeling over the crumpled body of the priest, fighting down his rising panic. “Christian magic?!” 

“We _told_ you,” the woman hisses. “The angels defend us.” 

“Make them stop!” Ivar orders as Hvitserk shifts closer to him and raises his shield. More of the angels have come out of the walls now, frozen halfway out of the stone like swimmers hauling themselves out of a frozen lake, and the first two have gotten closer. 

“There _is_ no stopping them,” the woman says, a vengeful light coming into her eyes. “They will _punish_ you for your sins, Northman, until nothing remains of you but dust!” 

“Shields up!” Ivar bellows to his men, but it does no good. There’s a sound like a tearing and three of Ivar’s warriors disappear into thin air, their shields and weapons clanging to the stone floor where they once stood, and his warriors recoil in horror at the sight of the fanged monsters now bearing down on them. 

They’re fast. They’re _too fast._ Too fast for his men to fight. And how are they supposed to fight living stone? One warrior might strike a blow, shatter an angels arm, only to be ripped apart as another angel appeared out of nowhere behind him.

It’s only been moments since the priest’s body has fallen to the floor, but now nearly all of the angels have come to life. The walls are empty, the niches are bare, and the enormous angel that had stood behind the high altar has made it halfway across the room. His warriors, the Vikings that went to battle against King Aelle and King Ecbert with joy in their hearts and smiles on their faces, are beginning to panic. 

There’s a _SNAP!_ from directly behind Ivar and he turns just as another of his warriors falls to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he sees an angel reaching out to him, her claws extended to within just a hairsbreadth of his face, and he grits his teeth and braces himself for her attack. But strangely enough, nothing happens. The angel doesn’t move. Eyes wide, Ivar cautiously reaches out, and taps her face with the back of his axe. 

Still nothing. 

Suddenly, it dawns on him. “Eyes open!” Ivar bellows as loud as he can. “Eyes open! They can’t move if you’re looking at them! Nobody blink!” 

His warriors form a rough circle around him, their wide, terrified eyes facing outwards towards the snarling angels now stopped in their tracks. Ivar sneers as he considers the huddle of Christians kneeling together on the floor, still loudly praying to their false God. He wants nothing more than to slaughter every one of them, to spill their blood and sacrifice them to Odin, but his warriors are depending on his leadership and he will not send them to Valhalla for nothing. As much as it rankles him to give the order, this is an enemy that they cannot fight. 

“Back!” Ivar shouts. “Everyone back! Keep your eyes on them and get out!” 

And Ivar’s warriors, part of the Great Army which had so easily toppled kings and brought England to its knees, slowly and carefully shuffle towards the door and out of the cathedral. 

 


End file.
